• Hot Saucerman
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    79
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Google is sitting on the “but they’re contractors!” angle because it makes it easier for them.

    Why?

    Because once the union does collective bargaining with their actual employer, Cognizant, the company will have almost no recourse but to increase fees to Google for the contract work.

    Once this happens, Google just says “Oops, you’re shit out of luck” and then hires a whole new company of contracted workers for the same work, for cheaper.

    Google purposefully uses this type of structure to ensure they never have to pay more, even when collective bargaining with unions does happen. Because then they can just shitcan the whole company and claim costs were too high. They certainly won’t break their contract, but you can bet your ass when time comes to renew it, Google will have found someone new to take their place.

    • Deconceptualist@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      This is exactly how it works. I’ve seen the same thing go down with another major Google contractor (fortunately as an outsider).

      • Bipta@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        18
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        As a user of YouTube Music, quite possibly.

        They probably still deserve raises.

      • Khotetsu@lib.lgbt
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        15
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        It sounds like your job requires no talent and you could be easily replaced. Is it so?

        Just because there are other people out there who can do the same job as you (or them) doesn’t mean that it takes no skill, nor that replacing them can be done at a snap of the fingers. But nobody is irreplaceable. That’s how companies see their employees. Even you.

        • Steeve@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          Of course everyone deserves a raise and I do hope they get everything they’re asking for, but some people are more easily replaceable than others and in this case there might just be nothing stopping them from being replaced. It sucks, but Google isn’t technically required to negotiate.

          • thejevans
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            5
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            So? The whole point of organizing is that under capitalism, corporations hold way more bargaining power than individuals. Pointing out that a corporation isn’t “required” to cooperate is basically a non-statement.

            • Steeve@lemmy.ca
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              That’s a very defeatist attitude. In this case Google can just sign the contract to another company, but unions do work historically.

              • thejevans
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                5
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                edit-2
                1 year ago

                They “work historically” because workers fought “illegally” for years for the rights and protections that exist today. I don’t understand how this is defeatist. I’m all for worker power, and I’m glad these people are trying to push the needle further.

                Pointing out that the current state of the law isn’t on their side is either “defeatist” because it has some implicit is/ought bias or implies that they won’t change anything, or it’s meaningless because they already know what they’re fighting against.